Trick or Treat
by Scarpaw
Summary: "All right losers. Get dressed, we're going trick or treating." - There's been enough moping at the New York Institute. It's time to get the kids out for some fresh air. Halloween fic, Pre-CoLS


This was started last year sometime, and I never quite finished it because I forgot about it and then it was after Halloween and it seemed weird. This takes place before the start of City of Lost Souls, because the wiki states that City of Lost Souls starts late October/Early November, so I bumped it to early November so there would be pseudo-Halloween celebrations.

This ties in loosely with the 'verses " _For the Dancing_ " and " _A Conversation on Immortality_ ", but neither of them are necessary to read this.

Enjoy~!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments**

 _ **Trick or Treat**_

 _"All right losers. Get dressed, we're going trick or treating."_

 _There's been enough moping at the New York Institute. It's time to get the kids out for some fresh air. Halloween fic._

"All right losers," Helen Blackthorn slammed open the door to Isabelle's bedroom, striding in as if she owned the place. There was a baby dressed as a caterpillar on her hip and costumed children trailing behind her. "Get dressed, we're going trick or treating."

At the sound of Helen's voice, Clary tore her attention from the sketchbook on her lap, staring at the other Shadowhunter from her spot on Isabelle's bed. She had been doodling aimlessly in it, trying to take her mind off of the fact that she couldn't join in the patrols searching for Jace and Sebastian, but she wasn't drawing anything with much coherency. Isabelle was lounging on the seat in front of her vanity, flipping through what appeared to be some sort of demon anthology.

Upon hearing Helen's announcement, Isabelle looked up from the book, wrinkling her nose distastefully. "Trick or treating? I'm pretty sure that's a mundane tradition, _and_ for–"

"Kids? Yes, we're aware." Helen interrupted impatiently and gestured behind her where Clary noticed for the first time that Aline was at the back of the crowd of children. "If you haven't noticed Isabelle, we do have quite a lot of kids."

"We've _never_ missed trick or treating!" One of the girls piped up. She and the boy next to her were wearing black shoes, red pants, and yellow shirts. They both had blue ribbons tied in bows around her neck. The two were holding hands, and with how similar they looked, Clary figured it was a safe assumption that the two were more than likely twins.

"And we're not going to miss this year either," Helen continued for her sister with a no-nonsense tone of voice. There was a black ribbon tied in her blonde hair as a head band, and she was wearing a blue dress and with a white apron over top. White stockings, black flats– Clary recognized the outfit as an imitation of Alice from Disney's _Alice in Wonderland_. Aline was dressed in a similar fashion; a red skirt that reached near the floor, and a black top, with red paper hearts pinned to the top and black ones pinned to the skirt. There was a yellow paper crown secured in her hair, and a red heart drawn on her lips. It was a very obvious last-minute remake of the Queen of Hearts. That meant the twins were Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.

Actually, when she took a good look at the kids, Clary realized that all the costumes were a very well put together last minute rendition of _Alice in Wonderland_. The baby Helen was holding was the Caterpillar, and she could see all three members of the mad tea party as well. There was a boy lurking just on the other side of the door Clary could spy who had a pair of white rabbit ears perched on his head, bored expression on his face. Most likely the White Rabbit, so all they were missing from the well-known characters was the Cheshire Cat.

"Why do you need us?" Isabelle asked lazily, but Clary could see the hint of interest lurking in her expression.

" _Obviously_ ," Helen rolled her eyes, "We don't know New York as well as you natives do, so we need a guide for the area. That and we have, like, six kids, so we need all the chaperones and eyes we can get."

"We tried asking your brother, Isabelle," Aline offered sympathetically. "But he wasn't in his room. We thought that this might be a good idea to get your guys' minds off of everything that's been happening lately."

"Alec's at his _boyfriend's_ ," Isabelle drawled with a mischievous smile, watching the reactions from the kids. The Dormouse, the Hare, and the Hatter all shared a grin and snickers, while Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee shared ' _yuck_ ' faces. Ah, the wonders of being a little kid.

Still, "I'm game," Clary shrugged, dropping her sketchpad into her bag, swapping it for her phone so she could text her mother about the change in plans. She didn't bother texting Simon; he had a gig with the band ( _Mouldy Tacos_ , really?) that Eric had somehow managed to land them, and was going to be busy until late. While Clary normally went to the band's performances, she just hadn't managed that night.

"Great!" Helen beamed, and Aline dug through the black bag hanging at her side. They had obviously come prepared. Undoubtedly, the phrase 'no' had not been in their vocabulary for the night. Clary had a sneaking suspicion that whether she and Isabelle had wanted to or not, they would have been dragged along trick or treating. "You can be our Cheshire. Are you coming Isabelle?"

"I suppose so," Isabelle announced theatrically, as if it were a huge chore to be going trick or treating with a bunch of kids instead of going to some Downworlder Halloween party that was surely going on that night. The look in her eyes belied her real feelings however, because Clary could see the child-like excitement reflected in them. "Do I get a themed costume too?"

Helen hummed, studying Isabelle's room, looking at the articles of clothing hanging off of the various pieces of furniture. "From the looks of it, we could throw together a real quick version of Alice's sister from the movie with some of your stuff. It won't be the exact article, but hey," Helen waved her hand at the group. "We aren't really the 'real deal' either, so?"

Isabelle shrugged. "I'm fine with that." Aline handed over a pile of clothes from the bag to Clary, before shepherding the kids back out of Isabelle's room while her girlfriend picked up articles of clothing strewn around Isabelle's room for the Lightwood daughter to wear.

"And," There was a grin on Isabelle's face that put the Cheshire Cat's to shame, almost making Clary offer to swap characters with her, "I know the perfect place to be our last stop with trick or treating."

* * *

The sound of banging at the door knocked Alec out of the light doze he had fallen under. Magnus had insisted Alec come over for 'distracting' from the whole 'Jace missing and Sebastian is alive' deal they were all facing. Alec had arrived at the Brooklyn apartment to find that their definitions of 'distracting' had drastically different meanings.

Halloween was coming up; it was more of a mundane holiday than a Shadowhunter one, but Magnus still felt that Alec needed to be cultured in all movies Halloween-related. When his boyfriend had turned on the first movie, Alec proceeded to zone out, barely paying attention to what was going on. After a little more than an hour, _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ ended and Magnus was just putting on _The Addams Family_ movie when the door started buzzing.

Apparently, Halloween included the tradition of 'trick or treating', where mundane kids went door to door, dressed up in costumes, knocking at stranger's houses to ask for candy. Alec thought the whole deal was sketchy (because really, wasn't it taught to _not_ to take candy from strangers?), but Magnus endorsed the tradition. His enthusiasm about seemed to come from Halloween being the one time of year where he didn't have to glamour his cat eyes from the public, so Alec didn't protest beyond his initial confusion.

But the knocking had tapered off almost an hour ago, and which was probably when Alec had slipped off fully into his doze, so there shouldn't have been anyone else knocking for candy. To be honest, Alec wasn't even sure if Magnus _had_ candy– there sure hadn't been a bowl or anything he had seen for passing it out, but Magnus had answered the door every time, and the kids had seemed delighted with whatever Magnus had given them, so Alec had just assumed… That train of thought turned slightly worrisome, so Alec abandoned it.

He rolled off of the couch, and rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other banged on the mute button of the remote. There was some slasher movie playing on the television, and Alec figured that it probably wasn't a good idea to have that playing in the background with kids at the door. Only, belatedly, Alec realized that the remote didn't _have_ batteries. Magnus didn't have a need for the remote as he could do everything for the television with magic. Why did Magnus even have a remote?

The knocking at the door persisted, louder this time, and Alec decided that he didn't care whether there was a slasher movie playing in the background with kids at the door. Alec stumbled to the door, throwing it open.

And blinked at the sight before him.

"Trick or treat!" Ten voices chorused before him, loud enough that the entire floor probably heard them, if they hadn't been disturbed by the stampede of knocking before it.

Magnus, having heard the cacophony, came wandering out of the kitchen from where he had apparently disappeared to while Alec was dozing. He gazed at the group, adopting an enthralled expression. "Ooh, _Alice in Wonderland_. I _love_ that movie."

"Thanks," Helen Blackthorn grinned from the back of the crowd as one of her sisters– one with a pair of mouse ears –chirped from her spot,

"It was my idea!"

Alec studied the group at the door. There was Helen, obviously, and all of her siblings, as well as Aline, Clary, and Isabelle. Clary had pink and purple stripes painted horizontally across her face and headband with cat ears, while Isabelle seemed to have gotten off fairly lightly with no face paint.

"Got off easier than you, huh?" Isabelle grinned at him, and Alec blinked, confused.

"What?" He questioned, turning to look at the mirror that hanged by the door. Though he had no memory of putting any sort of costume on, there were black cat ears protruding from his head, and whiskers drawn on his face. A surreptitious look down told him there was a matching tail as well. A frightened thought had Alec worrying that they were _real_. (He _was_ dating a warlock after all– who knew what could happen?) He whirled around to face his boyfriend.

" _Magnus._ " He hissed, which probably didn't help his case for looking like a cat. One of the kids whispered how Alec ' _really was a cat!_ ' and someone else (Isabelle probably, who was he kidding) snorted.

"Who wants candy?" Magnus diverted quickly, waving his hand, producing a bowl of full sized candy bars with the gesture. Alec sincerely hoped that Magnus didn't steal it from someone else's candy. Still, Magnus's actions brought about the intended distraction as the kids caused a ruckus, clamoring for the candy. From how full their bags seemed with candy already, Alec held a mild worry for not only their father, but the other Shadowhunters currently residing in the Institute. Five kids on a sugar high were not something anyone wanted to deal with, Alec was certain.

"You're not off the hook," Alec grumbled, assisting in passing out the candy bars.

"Nonsense!" Magnus proclaimed loftily once the final candy bar had disappeared into the bags, grinning mischievously. "You'll find that I am completely hook-free." The kids giggled, and Helen was biting her lip trying not to snicker. Magnus leaned over for a kiss, and while Alec normally wouldn't say no to that, there was the whole ' _kids right in front of them_ ' thing. That, and he was still mad at Magnus.

"Hey." Alec put his hand on Magnus' face and pushed him away. "There are _kids_." Said kids were giggling, and Mark let out a sigh, rolling his eyes.

" _Please_ ," He waved his hand dismissively, the gesture looking ridiculous accompanied with the rabbit ears he was wearing. "They've seen worse." Mark was giving his sister a pointed look, who shrugged, looking completely unashamed.

"Guilty as charged." She pulled her phone out, flipped it open, reading a text message. Helen typed something back and snapped the phone shut, dropping it back in her apron pocket. "And _that_ was the boss-man. Says it's time to get everyone back to the Institute." There was a rousing chorus of 'aws' from the kids.

"No buts," she scolded, relieving Aline of the weight of her baby brother, settling him on her hip. "Now, what do we say?"

"Thank you," The kids chorused in a practiced unison.

"Any time," Magnus answered amicably, sneaking a peck on Alec's cheek, causing him to scowl and push his boyfriend away once more. As they were shuffled off, the kids were snickering, and Alec heard Isabelle call back,

"Don't keep my brother up too late, Magnus!" Before the door shut.

"So," Magnus pulled Alec close, grinning. "Not in front of the children, huh? Glad to know you're a defender of the young one's moral sensitivities."

"This doesn't change anything," Alec leaned back, but didn't pull free from Magnus' grip. "I'm still mad at you."

"Oh really?" Magnus's breath smelled faintly like chocolate and mint, and he leaned closer so their noses were close enough to brush. His hands were sliding lower down Alec's back, and Alec placed his hands over them to stop the movement. "I guess I'll have to fix that."

"You can try," Alec snorted, and Magnus took that as an open invitation, claiming Alec's mouth with his own.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, the next morning found Clary back at the Institute. After Jace disappeared, she found herself spending a lot of her time there, whether it was because of interrogations she had to undergo with the Mortal Sword, or just staying there because if something was found out about Jace (or Sebastian), Clary would know about it sooner by being there, rather than being at home. Last night was the first time in almost a week that Clary had actually gone out and done something instead of just staying in at the Institute.

For the first time since Jace had gone missing, Clary had spent the night at home. When Izzy, Helen, and Aline were shepherding all the kids back to the Institute, Clary had hopped off the subway early and went home instead of accompanying them back to the Institute. She needed a fresh change of clothes, after all, was what she had told herself, and it would be a good idea to spend a night in her own bed. That, and Clary was pretty sure that her mom was getting worried with all the time she was spending at the Institute. By staying the night at home, Clary had been able to drop off her candy loot, and share stories about her time trick or treating with everyone with her mom.

Still, when morning rolled around, Clary had gotten dressed, put together a new bag of clothes, put on some shoes, and headed for the subway. Walking to the Institute from the station gave her enough time to collect her thoughts, panic about news she might not have heard during the time she was away, create hilariously unrealistic yet horrifying scenarios about what might have happened to cause such news, and also subsequently calm herself down from said panic. Clary was climbing the stairs to the Institute's front door when Alec's voice caught her from behind.

"Didn't stay here last night?" It wasn't meant to be mean, Clary knew, and she stopped to turn and look at the eldest Lightwood as he jogged up the steps to meet her. As she studied him, Clary could see that the dark bags under his eyes hadn't gotten any lighter, and his hair still looked as if it hadn't been brushed in days– which, given the current events, it probably hadn't. She wondered if he even slept last night.

"No," Clary answered after a moment. "I went home; figured that it might do some good to stay away for a night. Sleep in my own bed. Thought that it might…" Might what? Clary wasn't sure where she was going with that train of thought. Make things easier, maybe? Let her pretend that everything was normal?

"Yeah," Alec sighed though, like he knew what she was going to say when she trailed off. "Thought it would get my mind off of things too." He stepped ahead of Clary, placing a hand to the Institute doors to open them –

And reeled back when they flung open, Isabelle striding out, cellphone in hand, marching off like she had a business that was anywhere but the Institute at that particular moment.

Upon noticing her brother and Clary, she came to a stop, lowering her cellphone.

"Great, I don't need to text you guys," She announced cheerily, with maybe a hint of fear, if Clary was reading her tone of voice correctly. Isabelle latched onto Clary's arm with one hand, and her brother's with the other. It was a vice grip like none other she had felt before. "We are going to Taki's for breakfast. And possibly lunch. And possibly just hiding there all day."

"I have to talk to Mom," Alec attempted to protest, but Izzy was already hauling them off back down the steps.

"Talk to her later!"

"Really Isabelle," Clary asked, stumbling after the taller girl. "Why are you acting as if Hell's on your heels?"

"I hope you realize," Isabelle spoke with a tone that gave no room for arguments, "That last night we gave the worst weapons possible to a group of kids who are going to be cooped up inside the Institute all day."

"What are you talking about Izzy?" Alec was confused, and it took only a second for Clary to understand what Isabelle was getting at.

"Oh," Realization dawned on her like a lightning strike. "Yeah, I'd hate to be Helen or Aline right now."

"Oh, yeah, they got all that candy last night." Alec remembered as they reached the sidewalk. Isabelle finally released them, setting a brisk pace towards Taki's.

"Now you understand." Isabelle sighed exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what would possess them to eat it all in one sitting." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Because they can?" Isabelle responded. "Because they're bored? Who knows."

"Have you had a bad experience with eating too much candy before Alec?" Clary asked, half-curious, half-teasing. Alec looked ready to respond, but his sister cut in before he could answer.

"Yeah right," Izzy shook her head at her companion. "Alec wouldn't be able to eat half the stuff we got last night. He may have a sweet tooth like you've never seen, but at the end of the day he's allergic to chocolate – plain and simple."

"That's just sad," Clary couldn't imagine not being able to eat chocolate. Alec simply shrugged his shoulders.

"It doesn't bother me," He brushed her remark off with practiced ease.

"Well, whatever," Isabelle waved her hand as if she were waving off the conversation topic like a particularly annoying gnat. "Let's get to Taki's. I want pumpkin pancakes and coffee."

* * *

 _As always, read and review!_


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